Black and female candidates have changed some of the political rules

Pity the White Male Candidate. For nearly two centuries WMCs had politics all to themselves. But this year, facing a record number of female and black opponents, they are finding that the negative ads and hardball rhetoric that worked so well when one WMC squared off against another are less effective when the target is a woman or a black.

With 77 women running for Governor or the Congress, WMCs might be forgiven for wondering why a woman can't be more like a man. Treating a woman like a lady -- or even worse, a girl -- can seem condescending and...